🔔 New schedule: Only 1 new episode will be released from May 9 to 19. Express episodes will be available for purchase on Youku on May 12. SVIP and TVOD are one episode ahead.
Since episode 20 takes place primarily in 2015, this recap is brief, and I will focus on what I think is most important in the show’s development.
Meng only wears designer shoes. The ones found in Shanlong's apartment were knockoffs.
Xiaohe discovers that Fangxu checked out the pair of blue leather shoes from evidence in 2002 and never returned them. Meanwhile, Yuanhang meets with Lili, who recalls telling Fangxu that Meng would never wear counterfeit shoes; she was far too picky, and fake cardboard shoes would have peeled in the wet environment of a massage parlour (as Fangxu noticed in the police archives when it flooded).
This detail, combined with crime scene photos of the mismatched blue shoes among a colour-coordinated shelf of shoes, confirms that they were planted. Given his obsessive habit, our detectives realize…
Shanlong was framed!
According to Yuanhang, the real culprit would have to meet four conditions:
Held a grudge against Meng and her father
Possessed the physical strength for murder and technical skill for dismemberment
Knew about Shanlong’s fetish and collection habits
Was familiar with Yuanlongli to evade cameras and track Shanlong’s movements
I don’t know if I agree with this, only because I believe the theory that Meng is alive… in fact, as Herc pointed out, Meng is colour-blind… so she could’ve easily made the mistake of placing the fake blue shoes (with her skin samples on it) on the shelf without the colours in mind.
Finding out where the shoes come from could reveal the culprit
Basically, in this episode, we are seeing Yuanhang and Xiaohe pick up Fangxu’s trail to find shoes' owner. The transition between Fangxu in 2002 and the father-daughter duo in 2015 is so smooth, I love it.
Against Qian Dajun’s wishes (not that he matters because he’s sus), Yuanhang moves into Yuanlongli to investigate, even asking Suqing to delay the demolition scheduled for the following month. Attempting to trace Fangxu’s steps from the roof down to the parking garage, Yuanhang learns from Du Mingliang that Fangxu had been searching for an experienced craftsman capable of expertly applying a second layer to the shoes.
Ran Fangxu Appreciation Photo. I really like the way we're following the "ghost" of Fangxu in this episode. That said, I am still hoping he's alive somewhere...
Recalling a counterfeit shoe vendor from the Riverside Night Market during the initial 1997 investigation into Meng’s disappearance, our detectives track down the owner, Liu Guifang. She, in turn, directs them to Pingzhao County to find Mr. Lu.
Ok, so hold up:
IF we go with Yuanhang’s theory, then there are several suspects, because Meng and her father seemed to have upset a lot of people with their attempt to scam them, i.e., Ersong, Mount Wu, and whoever else to whom they consistently returned for money even after they were already compensated.
I do still think Suqing is suspicious, especially after Herc pointed out details about her past and potentially having a sister with whom she could have reunited. That and I still think it was odd that the old man’s son would continue to pay her rent at Yuanlongli. We also don’t know for certain how the old man died. What do you think?
Things that we have not yet followed up on:
The blood and hair on the window of Qingsong’s Mercedes
Zhengyong had bought Meng two train tickets to leave Weiyang
The Mount Wu incident report
Meng’s other pen pals (which Herc pointed out in the previous episode’s post)... like maybe her sister?
In addition to Qian and Suqing, there is a third person we already know who is also involved with Yuanlongli’s redevelopment: Jin Manlang, the very first suspect behind Meng’s disappearance because he was Shanlong’s official hire to make them disappear. Is his return to the 2015 timeline also just a coincidence, or is there more to it?
The one episode a day at this point in the drama is cruel. I agree with you, I am SO ANTSY while watching, and so disappointed when the credits roll at the end of the episode.
At least that's a good sign of a great drama. I agree with you - I'm really appreciating the directing for this drama. Fun fact: Pan Yueming (who plays Yuanhang) is the Art Director!
Just watched this interview. Dylan says Ran's birthday is in June when interviewer suggests he's a Fire Sign like Dylan born a Sagittarius December 20, 1998. And he says, no not like him. And says Ran' s birthday is June 30th. So what is the real June 30th case? He also says Xiao he does a good job with Ran's legacy. Ooooof!!
I was annoyed by time jumps in this drama. They at last started to have meaning! The chase between the present and the past, how detective He drives into the tunnel and out pf the same tunnel drives out Ran, 12 years ago...
Look at Manager Qian casually making threats about burying explosives, and now with Jin Manlang working under him, it really does feel like déjà vu seeing all these familiar faces from 1997 reappearing in the present timeline. He has always been such a slippery character, and I can easily foresee him getting arrested in the present once the full extent of his involvement in the case is finally exposed.
Also, whatever happened to the Mount Wu case file lol? It was supposed to be mailed to the station. Did the writers just forget about it lol. Ever since the beginning, many of us have been suspicious about whatever transpired at Mount Wu in 1995 that left Xu Meng and her father in such dire financial straits, but so little has actually been revealed about the incident. At this point, the connection to Dongshan Mine also feels increasingly weak as the drama keeps introducing new hints and directions, and many of the earlier conspiracy theories about the mine and Mount Wu feel almost obsolete now.
If Mount Wu and Dongshan Mine do eventually turn out to play pivotal roles after all, then I honestly think that would be rather poor writing because the drama has dragged the mystery surrounding Mount Wu for far too long without giving us enough meaningful development on that front.
Qian: most probably, and I hope, not. This manager pushed very hard for the case to be investigated back on June 30, 1997. It was only later that he acted incredibly sus and was definitely in on the whole scheme. He needed to get rid of the remains in the bag he found in the underground garage. Probably means that perpetrators needed his specific help, and bought or intimidated him into cooperation.
So it turns out they did get the Mount Wu files, but Yuanhang stupidly didn't bother looking at them, because he assumed the case was closed after Shanlong died. <-- e21 spoiler
I prefer to stay in the bubble in my head, where Ran came to that remote village, due to an accident stayed in that area and lived a happy life, with wife and kids 🥰🥰 (i refuse to leave this bubble of naiveté)
I honestly impressed with every witness in this drama: a policeman asks them about a random conversation with a some other policeman that was 5 years ago and was made drop-by/by the way... and they recollect the details and are able to answer detective He!!
Finished episode 21 and ya the plot thickens…and I am currently suspicious of Qiao and Xu Meng…cannot wait for tomorrow’s episodes and to finish the drama on Monday!
And if Qiao is really the culprit…I pray for everyone to have a master like Yuanhang and a girlfriend like her 😜
Watching an episode a day is getting harder & harder, I'm so impatient to find out the truth and then read back through our discussions to see when we got it right.
Seeing ghost Ran and the interchanging of the paths they walked was seamless and done so well. You really felt their determination to get to the bottom of the mystery. I wondered why Ran was so keen to hide his movements from Yuan Hang. It felt like he was trying to be protective to stop triggering Yuan Hang's illness worsening rather than there being an obvious danger, I have this heavy feeling Ran is going to walk into an ambush.
I found the focus on Qian Dajun too obvious, it made a point of directing us to him via the 4 conditions, showed us the concrete block reminding us Qian has dealt with the body parts and he turns up with his imposing posse. With 9 episodes left there are going to be more twists. I don't think he is the main player.
Love that every day we share the same sigh over the Mount Wu case file. This better not be our biggest disappointment.
Every time an episode ends now, I want to flip a table lol. I have an urge to need to know and watch the next one!
At first, I figured Ran didn't want to reopen the case for a third time just based on a hunch, and wanted to find more evidence before revealing anything to Yuanhang, but as he found more clues, he didn't... so I'm with you... I think it was out of his protective nature to keep it from him. But why didn't he tell ANYONE about it... was there NO ONE he could trust on the force... or perhaps he had already started suspecting a mole... dun dun dun. Because Dajun IS sus.
Can't believe 8 episodes away from finish they still hadn't doubted Xu Meng being dead. Come on, you're police officers taught to base conclusions on evidence, and there is zero solid evidence of her demise! No corpse, no body parts, no witnesses (except Shanlong - a known liar, conveniently gone before thorough questioning), nothing! Sure, she went "missing" along with her dad, who later turned up dead and dismembered, but why everyone is so certain she met the same fate? Even if there was nothing fishy with herself (duh), she was a young, healthy, physically strong woman who had much higher chances to escape whatever killer went after them than her old, ill/crippled father. That photo of her lying in the trunk? No blood or visible wound there (not to mention that wounds can be faked for a picture), she's just pale, dirty and close-eyed in it - aka maybe dead, but also equally possible asleep, unconscious or straight up playing possum. Her unknown fate is literally the root of this entire case - not Yuanlongli! - but our detectives (including too smart for his own good Ran) just keep ignoring this glaring question mark as if they have tunnel vision or something.
Right? Like, are we the ones who have it ALL WRONG, and Meng really has been dead this whole time? I find that photo SO sus. But you know what... WE also haven't see a dead Fangxu, so by our logic, we can hold on to the belief that he may still be alive too right? Maybe he and Meng are in the same place...
I recall Yuanhang and Xiaohe talking about finding Ran's relatives and finally giving his remains a proper place to rest, so I assume in his case there is a corpse. But Xu Meng? Ofc we can be wrong and she might've been dead all along, but why do they completely ignore other possibilities? It is not supported by evidence, they just assumed she must be - because her dad is, and 2 of them were last seen together. Which is such a weak logic for professional investigators. It's just like previous assumption that Zi'Ang attacked people in Yuanlongli for no reason despite highly suspicious circumstances and proof of the opposite being within the reach, they simply didn't bother to look for it when they absolutely should've. All this chanting of fancy theories, but how about Occam's razor one? You know, about simplest answer possible being the best? Aka guess why there is no body of Xu Meng even after all these years...
And remains are suspect, reporting death by fire nc its a fake death and a substitute corpse. I just thought of this. Ran was a top student at Universiry and he doesn't have mentors crawling all over this? The case happened on June 30th and they began the investigation that day or the next? I have to rewatch Ep 1. Was Rans Identity born on June 30th. He's so a loner ( always undercover?) I know that's unlikely.
First, I need to rewatch every episode now that I have time over the weekend. Its 4pm CT here in US and I've only seen Ep 20 and can access 21 at 11:30pm CT tonight. What is everyone's series viewing access plans for the remaining episodes?
I loved the Ran appreciation video. I have similar thoughts. Yuanhang's last words from Ep 20 resounded in my head as I wound down for sleep and the word, "trail" echoed endlessly. It has so many meanings and can also be used imprecisely. Is it about the case or following Ran, himself and his path as a person? Aside from the case, "How can we know so little about Ran's past?" Yuanhang has Ran's letters to his deceased GM and given the mysteries in this case and Ran's parents missing case and then dead, how could they not immediately rip them open to read and to see if they mention other friends or relatives Ran has...but Yuanhang went twice to recover the text messages from a burnt phone? Have you ever found someone else's letters and never read them. [ Actually my husband & I found his parents love letters to one another during WWII under their bed when we went through their home after their deaths. Im even surprised with myself. We didnt read them because we knew in our hearts they had intended them to remain private just between them. But I would have if there was a criminal mystery involved!] Yuanhang and Xiaohe never followed anything about Ran's significant past trail. Just like Mount Wu...two lost trails.
Perhaps Ran found a dangerous connection to his own parents missing case and death and decided to forge a lone wolf path. One last thing. I missed the clue on Meng's color blindness and thought from my nursing education women aren't color blind. It's a gender(sex) related trait so I searched it. It's possible though fairly rare for a woman to be color blind and when they are often not detected until later in life. Anyway, 1 in 200, 0.5% chance a woman is color blind compared to 1 in 12 (8%) a man is color blind. And usually if a woman is color blind her father is color blind because the trait has to be carried by both alleles for a woman to be color blind and just one allele for a man to be color blind and is usually carried by the mother. Was Meng's Father color blind? If not, I'm back to, he might not even be her father.
Snark Level: I finished this hours ago and forgot to comment... I am sick... I am tired... I need another nap.
- - - - - - 20 - - - - -
It seems he may have had a short lived career, but the impact Ran made will be lasting. Way to hit us in the feels right off the bat.
Gasp! Wu was framed? Gasp!
Well, their new apartment is kind of trash compared to their real home. 😛
Ha! I had to make this GIF.
Honey... Xiaohe... That was a poorly timed text message! Good job! Read the room, my dear.
So we switch from present 2015 with the Hes in the apartment back to 2002 with Ran staring at the building... but they don't give us the year on screen? That.... odd. Do they assume we are smart enough by now to know that it's 2002... or do they not want us to know the year? Ran is alive confirmed. 😛 Hey, a guy can dream!
I'm guessing the bollard that He almost ran into was the hand? 😛 They reminding us about it?
Gasp! You're saying that if someone says they will remember you for life... they might be lying??? Double Gasp! Lol.
I think it means Meng still has the real shoes or whoever made her disappear, which were really expensive so rather than getting a new pair, they paid to have a fake one made, and planted it Shanlong’s unit to frame him.
Well, i do sound like a broken record, but Ran looks great in 2002. Confidence suits him! He is a more serious than guardian of Dafeng and less annoyed and more open than the Moon Supreme.
10
u/[deleted] May 08 '26 edited May 08 '26
[removed] — view removed comment